Novig becomes first MLB authorized prediction market with New York Mets deal
Novig has been designated an MLB authorized prediction market and signed a multi-year partnership with the New York Mets, announced July 30. The Mets become the first MLB team to partner with a prediction-market platform. Novig's branding will be integrated across the Mets' ecosystem. Novig founder Fortinsky called the deal a milestone for broader industry adoption. Sports Business Journal reported the deal was believed to be only the third sponsorship of a professional sports team by a prediction market company.
Novig's MLB authorization gives it a direct line to official league data and integrity infrastructure that offshore rivals cannot match. That matters because prediction-market operators are racing to prove they can self-police before Congress acts on a bipartisan Senate bill to ban sports event contracts outright. The Mets partnership puts Novig inside a major-market fanbase with built-in engagement, but it also exposes the platform to the same legislative crosshairs hitting Kalshi and Polymarket.
The deal could become a template for other MLB clubs, or a lightning rod if lawmakers single out league-blessed sports contracts as the problem to eliminate. For Novig, the risk is concentration: sports-only vertical integration leaves no hedge if the federal ban passes. The NFL season will test whether ProphetX's $35 million raise and Novig's league partnerships can build liquidity fast enough to survive either outcome.
Novig joins three other prediction-market operators advancing in sports this quarter, after ProphetX's $35 million raise, Underdog's exchange launch, and Fanatics' BGC acquisition.